San Jacinto College LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology San Jacinto College District | Pasadena, TX

San Jacinto College’s LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology (CPET) is the largest petrochemical training facility in the Gulf Coast Region that meets the demands of petrochemical industry professionals.

The 151,000 sq ft instructional complex features a process training glycol distillation unit (8,000 sq ft) to develop troubleshooting skills for students, incumbent workers and space to house the process operations program, instrumentation, electrical, nondestructive testing and craft trades. Taking advantage of their long-standing industry affiliations, San Jacinto College partnered with the local petrochemical industry organizations to create a facility that fosters the relationship and provides much needed educational and hands-on training for students and industry professionals.

The CPET facility is an ambitious showpiece of petrochemical education, training laboratories and processing plant of any in its class. The building, situated on the old 25 acre campus golf course, includes 31 specialized labs that create a real-life representation of chemical, physical and other technical processes in unit operations, 20 classrooms, a state of the art control room to operate the glycol distillation unit, faculty suites and a large multi-purpose event center that groups can use for academic, community and industrial functions. An industry and faculty goal was to make safety a top priority and cultural mindset; badging and proper work attire is required as a basic curriculum feature in order to promote this workforce ideology.

IBI Group was first recruited to develop a master plan for the entire 141 acre property. The planning called for technical education facilities to integrate with the new south entry of the campus making the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology the focal point. The exterior was requested by the College to be a billboard for demonstrating the excellence and commitment to technical education in the community. The CPET facility plays a vital role in helping the region maintain its status as the “Energy Capital of the World.”

+ Master planning was completed by IBI Group for this district.

“The need for a facility like this has never been greater. We’re seeing a growing industry that’s investing more than $60B in new capital locally, at the same time our baby boomers are exiting the workforce, so the workforce needs are growing along with the job opportunities.”

—Jim Griffin, Vice Chancellor/Senior Vice President, San Jacinto College District
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